In less than a year, Jarmo Kekalainen has made his first major move as general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. The trade occurred on Tuesday night, where Byram and Jordan Greenway head to the Chicago Blackhawks, and in return, the Buffalo Sabres get the fourth overall pick, the 45th overall pick, and defenseman Louis Crevier.
On the surface, this is a huge win for the Buffalo Sabres, but it does create a massive hole in their defense and still leaves the question of what they might do with Alex Tuch. However, this trade gives Jarmo Kekalainen plenty of options and also assets to continue to add to this roster.
Entering the 2026 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres had only four picks, including one in the first three rounds. That 27th pick turned into the 20th pick with the Michael Kesselring trade, and now have a Top 5 pick and a second-round pick.
The Sabres can now use those picks to select a player, especially fourth overall, who can add to an already deep prospect pool. However, they could also package them to bring in a bona fide star who can help them win now.
Buffalo Sabres biggest win from this trade might be the additional cap space
The biggest win from this trade might be the fact that the Buffalo Sabres cleared roughly $10 million in cap space by trading Byram and Jordan Greenway. Prior to this trade, they were just under $11 million, but by trading Byram with a cap hit of $6.25 million and Greenway with a cap hit of $4 million, the Sabres now have over $21 million in cap space this summer, according to Puckpedia.
First and foremost, the Sabres should call Alex Tuch to see if they can reach a new deal to bring him back. However, reporting from Chris Johnston and other insiders has been that this doesn't change anything for Tuch and he is expected to hit free agency.
If that is not an option, they have plenty now to bring back restricted free agents Zach Benson and Peyton Krebs, along with unrestricted free agent Beck Malenstyn, and still sign free agents like Sergei Bobrovsky, who was recently connected to the Sabres. They also have the option to make a trade that brings back salary, either this summer or during the season at the trade deadline.
The Sabres certainly created a hole in their roster but this was a trade that was too good to pass up and opens the door for so many possibilities for Jarmo Kekalainen to continue building out this roster.
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